Reader letter | Broken faith on pensions

The starting salary for a City of Louisville firefighter beginning their career in 1970 was $6,547.58. In the mid 1960s the state legislator had changed the work schedule for firefighters to 24 hours on duty and 48 hours off duty to allow a firefighter's body the time needed to clear the carbon monoxide absorbed while fighting fires. Calculating an hourly pay rate including time-and-a-half for hours over 40 hours a week the new firefighter earned $1.975 per hour. Upon passing a one year probationary period the hourly pay was increased by eight cents.

Designated as one of the nation's most hazardous occupations the average life expectancy of a career firefighter was then calculated to be 56 years. This is the primary reason firefighters developed a super high definition focus on their pension and survivor benefits. In 1981 Louisville firefighters were invited to join the state pension system upon fully funding all qualified and interested members. Under the state system members were eligible to retire after 20 years of service and mandated to do so at age 62 unless deemed to possess "exceptional qualifications" by the chief and approved by the mayor.

By 1996 a captain, the highest paid member of a fire company, earned $9.05 per hour. With 26 years' service it was clear that after considering the ability to receive a pension equal to a little less than 65 percent of their highest five-year average income, adjusted down for survivor benefits plus no longer having to contribute 7 percent of pay to help fund the pension, the firefighter was working for about $2.53 per hour. By retiring and finding a $4.25 per hour minimum wage job one could actually raise their hourly income approximately $1.72 per hour.

Public employees spend their careers working, planning, depending, and expecting that their pension benefits will be funded. No worker agreed to a benefit expecting the state's policymakers to shake on the agreed pension benefits with one hand with crossed fingers behind their backs on their other hand. Those benefits included an annual cost-of-living increase in order to protect their pension's value from eroding over time. No worker could ever imagine that full funding wasn't always implied but instead needed a special bill to require funding.

It was surreal watching Sen. Damon Thayer grin from ear-to-ear on KET's Feb. 25 "Kentucky Tonight" program as he tried to convince an anguished caller that he wasn't making any changes to his pension. It's like he believes the caller doesn't understand that a mere 3 percent average inflation rate will devalue the caller's pension by 26.26 percent over 10 years. The caller probably realizes how difficult life will be during his not so silver years. Yet, every state senator except five voted for Sen. Thayer's bill that would eliminate the inflation protection for earned pensions. State legislators have already twice lowered the automatic cost-of-living, first down to 5 percent and then down to 11/2 percent. Now including Sen. Thayer's Senate bill, how can this not be considered a complete default on part of retiree benefits after they performed their part the grand bargain including making their share of required contributions while the policymakers didn't?

NOLIE MILLS

Louisville 40206

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Reader letter | Broken faith on pensions

The starting salary for a City of Louisville firefighter beginning their career in 1970 was $6,547.58.